Speaking with 'Noa' December 3, 2004 by Lisa Frydman
Achinoam Nini, known internationally as "Noa," is a human tornado in concert. Her luscious cape of curls flows around her as she whirls from song to almost any instrument (she's brilliant on the Darbukkah, a hand-held Arabic drum), blending her signature style of folk, jazz and Middle Eastern rhythms in Hebrew and in English.
Considered the hottest female pop artist in Israel, Nini plays to sellout crowds in her native country, the United States and
worldwide -- not to mention repeated gigs at the Vatican. She laughs during a phone interview from the Holy Land, that she, a
Yemenite Jew from Israel, is considered a "Vatican favorite."
Born in Israel and raised in New York, Nini, 35, studied at the High School for the Performing Arts in New York City. She chose to return to Israel when she was 17 to serve in the army, singing for the soldiers in the Northern Command Ensemble. After her military service, Nini studied at the Rimon School of Music in Israel. It was there that she met Gil Dor, a highly accomplished guitarist, and began their 14-year musical partnership.
NOA 8 p.m. Saturday
Cahn Auditorium, Northwestern University Campus, 600 E. Emerson,Evanston
Tickets, $50
(847) 498-8218
Nini became a sensation in Israel, but the turning point in her career was when she and Dor collaborated with jazz guitarist Pat
Metheny to release "Noa," her first international album, in 1994. Nini, married and mother of two, will be performing at Northwestern University on Saturday night.
HERE'S WHAT NINI HAD TO SAY:
On the ultimate balancing act -- kids & career: I have a 3-year-old son, and I just gave birth to my second child three months ago. We named our daughter Enea, which means "seeing the world through her own eyes." It is a name inspired by the hope for peace -- to see the world not in any old way, but a better way.
On performing in Chicago: I love Chicago. A very good friend of mine lives here. He's an extraordinary musician whom I met through Pat Metheny. As for the city, I'm in love with the Art Institute, and of course, I'll take my son to Navy Pier.
On politics: I'm very political. Everyone in Israel knows exactly where I stand. I'm very outspoken. In fact, I sang at the peace rally where [the late prime minister of Israel] Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. Ten minutes after I performed, he was shot dead. It was devastating.
On her special relationship with the pope: I've met the pope several times, and sang for him. I'm what you'd call a "Vatican favorite" [laughs]. It's just so ironic, being Jewish and a Yemenite Israeli, I'm so far removed from Catholicism. I recorded my own version of "Ave Maria" during the Gulf War on my first international album, which was produced by Pat Metheny. I sang the song at the Vatican. The performance was televised worldwide. My appearance was considered very controversial in Israel. Many Israelis were proud that I was a Jewish singer from Israel singing in front of the pope. Others here were not as open-minded and accepting.
On discussions with the Pope: He's a very gentle, intelligent man. He made it a point to tell me that he believes in reconciliation between Judaism and Christianity, and believes in peace. Look, I don't agree with everything he does, but he is one of the most important religious leaders in the world, and he's made very symbolic gestures to Israel. And when it comes to peace, the pope is right on the ball.
A brush with Hollywood: I'm not prone to stage fright. I'm very comfortable singing in front of anybody. But there I was in Majorca, performing in the Cultural Arts Center, and Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were seated right in front of me, first row. It was horrible and wonderful. Catherine was the nicest person. She invited me and the whole band to a cocktail party after the show, and later e-mailed me how much she enjoyed my music. It was a thrilling experience.
On her fantasy performance: I end all my concerts with a Paul Simon song. Hands down, it would be singing anything with Paul Simon.
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By PAUL WIEDER
Although she plays percussion and guitar, Noa’s primary instrument is her voice. Both powerful and beautiful, it is in a league with those of Linda Ronstadt and Barbara Streisand. It is a voice that can be as delicate as an orchid and as overwhelming as a sunset sometimes, in the same song.
Her third English-language album is called Both Sides of the Sea, and that is an accurate depiction of Noa’s biography: I was born in Israel in 1969 When I was 2 years old, my parents moved to the Bronx I returned to Israel alone, at 17, she says. Like most Israelis that age, she entered the army, serving in an entertainment unit. Afterward, she studied in a music school, where she met guitarist Gil Dor. After a 1990 concert together, they began collaborating, as they have been ever since.
Noa is an Israeli nickname; her full name is Achinoam Nini. She used Noa for the title of her 1994 debut album, produced by the man who was to bring her to the attention of the world, jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. Her second English album, Calling, was produced by Rupert Hine, who has also recently worked with Suzanne Vega.
Like Ofra Haza, Noa is of Yemenite origin. Also like Haza, she merges East and West and old and new in every song. On her albums, Noa is accompanied by everything from an entire orchestra to a Sephardi-Mizrachi ensemble to just Gil Dor’s tender guitar.
Dor still does much of the accompanying and arranging, and Noa takes many of her lyrics from the great Israeli poet Leah Goldberg. She does, however, write many of her own songs; her influences are singer-songwriters Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, as well as Paul Simon and Leonard Cohen. Her favorite poets are e.e. cummings and Octavio Paz. But I have taken material and inspiration from so many people and places, she confesses, adding, I just try to keep my eyes and ears, and especially my heart, wide open all the time.
Noa has recorded in both Hebrew and English, in both the U.S. and Israel. After Haza’s untimely passing, Noa has emerged as Israel’s premier voice to the world. Her audiences have included Stephen Spielberg, Bill Clinton, and the Pope. She has shared the stage with stars ranging from Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder to Carlos Santana and Sheryl Crow; and both she and David Broza, Israel’s best-known guitarist, have performed with world-music fan Sting.
Her greatest achievement, Noa feels, is being a mother to Ayehli, her son, born in early 2001. She considers this the most challenging and beautiful experience in my life. For all her success and acclaim, she feels, being a mother is perhaps the greatest privilege of all.
Noa will appear at Northwestern University’s Cahn Auditorium in Evanston, on Saturday, Dec. 4. The event is a benefit for Shir Chadash Reconstructionist Synagogue on its 10th anniversary, and is presented under the auspices of the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest. Tickets are $50; call Shir Chadash at (847) 4
